Why Olympus MJU II is so expensive ?
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There are a number of overpriced P&S cameras that have become sought after and bring unreal prices. They have earned the status of being "cool" and there is little logic to it.
There are also ones with similar specs that usually sell for much less.
There are also ones with similar specs that usually sell for much less.
Internet / Social Media hype by "Influencers".
I depends what you mean by 'better'. If better means tiny that you can slip into a pant pocket, then yes it is better.
Anything else? No.
It's the price of popularity driven by social media.
Hype. The same reason my Yashica T4 is overpriced.
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I think they are good cameras. I've owned a few over the years. The original version is a much better deal these days though, but even those were getting pricey last time I checked. I still have two of those. Never use them. I have two parts Mju IIs as well. The best thing about them is the one hand operation. You can pull them out of your pocket and they are ready to go by the time the camera gets to your eye.
I've owned a Yashica T4 since 1992. Those are way over priced. Have been for years now. The lens has a lot of contrast buy isn't really super sharp. I've owned a few of those too besides my original one. They are good for what they are but they aren't that impressive. The prices are just because of all the hype by people who don't know jack about cameras frankly.
The best point and shoot for lens quality I've owned is the Ricoh GR1. That was fantastic until it broke. Probably the flex cable.
It is hard to justify the cost of a lot of the more expensive point and shoots these days. I've bought a lot of different models over the years but I didn't pay that much for them. Sometimes just a few bucks. The last cheap small camera last time I checked was the Nikon AF600 I think the model is. Nice lens and it is small. I used to recommend the Contax TVS but those have jumped way up in price. Same with some of the Leica zooms, like the Z2x. Blame the internet.
I've owned a Yashica T4 since 1992. Those are way over priced. Have been for years now. The lens has a lot of contrast buy isn't really super sharp. I've owned a few of those too besides my original one. They are good for what they are but they aren't that impressive. The prices are just because of all the hype by people who don't know jack about cameras frankly.
The best point and shoot for lens quality I've owned is the Ricoh GR1. That was fantastic until it broke. Probably the flex cable.
It is hard to justify the cost of a lot of the more expensive point and shoots these days. I've bought a lot of different models over the years but I didn't pay that much for them. Sometimes just a few bucks. The last cheap small camera last time I checked was the Nikon AF600 I think the model is. Nice lens and it is small. I used to recommend the Contax TVS but those have jumped way up in price. Same with some of the Leica zooms, like the Z2x. Blame the internet.
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My MJU 1 is starting to go. I can't really justify the price for another one. It really is one of my niftier pocket clamshells.
Interesting. I've compared a clean, barely used Olympus mju II to my beat up Yashica T5 and there was really no comparison. mju II is both softer, lower contrast and with flare when sun is anywhere near or in the frame. Not to mention that I had to go through a few mjus before I found one that didn't have a problem of this or that kind. There is a serious design problem that causes light leaks on a lot of mjus.
I liked the shape of mju II and it seemed like the camera could take more abuse than T5. Considering the hype around it I fully expected it to be at least as good as T5. It's not that bad on it's own, but it's not in T5 league, imho.
For the price these go for, just stay away. Neither this Olympus, Yashica T4 and several others are worth anything close to a quarter of asked prices, and that is debatable. EPIC is a max $100 camera, and you really need to crave P&S shooting to pay that much.
Just use your cell phone if you really need to consider this hyped up gear.
Just use your cell phone if you really need to consider this hyped up gear.
Recently West Yorkshire Cameras in the UK has sold a few MJU II cameras for £350.
The reason this and other 'cult' cameras are so expensive is because they have the 'holy trinity' of being pocketable, 2.8 lens and fixed focal length. All cameras with this trinity sell for high prices.
I've had three or four MJU IIs over the years, they all deteriorated in the same way: first the shutter button would lose the half-press position, the focus, which was always poor, got worse and I had to start using the spot meter (which is also spot focus). I have so many photos from this camera with a person right in centre and the camera has focused on a distant building. The little glass viewer for the film on the back often leaks light. The flash nearly always needs turning off. Compared to the Yashica T5 - I have never seen a difference in my darkroom. My Yashica was stolen and when I went to buy a replacement with sales guy convinced me to get the MJU II. He laughed at me when I said 'but the Yashica has a Zeiss lens'.
A friend used one of these cameras exclusively for his photography degree - even dropped it in a toilet once. It was pleasing to be at his final exhibition show and see what he had done with that camera whilst his felloow students had dropped four figures on pro Nikon outfits.
The reason this and other 'cult' cameras are so expensive is because they have the 'holy trinity' of being pocketable, 2.8 lens and fixed focal length. All cameras with this trinity sell for high prices.
I've had three or four MJU IIs over the years, they all deteriorated in the same way: first the shutter button would lose the half-press position, the focus, which was always poor, got worse and I had to start using the spot meter (which is also spot focus). I have so many photos from this camera with a person right in centre and the camera has focused on a distant building. The little glass viewer for the film on the back often leaks light. The flash nearly always needs turning off. Compared to the Yashica T5 - I have never seen a difference in my darkroom. My Yashica was stolen and when I went to buy a replacement with sales guy convinced me to get the MJU II. He laughed at me when I said 'but the Yashica has a Zeiss lens'.
A friend used one of these cameras exclusively for his photography degree - even dropped it in a toilet once. It was pleasing to be at his final exhibition show and see what he had done with that camera whilst his felloow students had dropped four figures on pro Nikon outfits.
It's what the market will bear. This covers in five short words most if not all of the same reason why everything costs as much as it does, surely 
pentaxuser
pentaxuser
It's what the market will bear. This covers in five short words most if not all of the same reason why everything costs as much as it does, surely
pentaxuser
Few things really cost as much as they do, these cameras' prices are an utter joke.
The Stylus Epic is a good compact point & shoot camera, full stop. It's easily pocketable, has a good lens and decent automation, and is a capable image maker.
Alas, its current reputation as a must-own technological masterpiece bestrides the world like a colossus... and has led to these absurd prices. But in my experience, its performance doesn't really live up to it.
I got one for my then-12-year-old son about 20 years ago, bought new online from one of the major NYC dealers, for around $120. Yes, I'd read all the reviews and online buzz from its introduction about how this was such a perfected, tiny point & shoot camera, and I had fond memories of what great shots I'd pulled out of a Nikon OneTouch's fixed 35mm/f2.8 lens back in the 80s and 90s. Not to mention my love for earlier compact Olympus gems, the Pens and OMs.
Two years later, he wanted a digital camera, so the Epic became mine. At the time, I was shooting with a bunch of cameras, so I didn't NEED it... but it eventually became my convenient-carry-around-loaded-with-color-print-film camera.
Yes, it was capable of really good images... but with some downsides too. The need to turn off the automatic flash EVERY time you opened the camera. The longish delay between pressing the shutter button and shooting (not atypical for a p&s, but annoying to a manual camera user). And the exposure programming, which always favors wider apertures over slower speeds - leading to images coming out unexpectedly soft from a lack of depth of field.
A cleverly designed, good little camera. But no must-have masterpiece. I last ran some film through mine about five years ago and may never use it again. Sometime maybe I'll go out shooting with a friend who's got a good eye, but no manual camera chops, and let them shoot with it.
Alas, its current reputation as a must-own technological masterpiece bestrides the world like a colossus... and has led to these absurd prices. But in my experience, its performance doesn't really live up to it.
I got one for my then-12-year-old son about 20 years ago, bought new online from one of the major NYC dealers, for around $120. Yes, I'd read all the reviews and online buzz from its introduction about how this was such a perfected, tiny point & shoot camera, and I had fond memories of what great shots I'd pulled out of a Nikon OneTouch's fixed 35mm/f2.8 lens back in the 80s and 90s. Not to mention my love for earlier compact Olympus gems, the Pens and OMs.
Two years later, he wanted a digital camera, so the Epic became mine. At the time, I was shooting with a bunch of cameras, so I didn't NEED it... but it eventually became my convenient-carry-around-loaded-with-color-print-film camera.
Yes, it was capable of really good images... but with some downsides too. The need to turn off the automatic flash EVERY time you opened the camera. The longish delay between pressing the shutter button and shooting (not atypical for a p&s, but annoying to a manual camera user). And the exposure programming, which always favors wider apertures over slower speeds - leading to images coming out unexpectedly soft from a lack of depth of field.
A cleverly designed, good little camera. But no must-have masterpiece. I last ran some film through mine about five years ago and may never use it again. Sometime maybe I'll go out shooting with a friend who's got a good eye, but no manual camera chops, and let them shoot with it.
Maybe it's because he knew it was really a Tomioka lens.
The silver lining to this cloud is that it helps keep the prices low on other really nice cameras.
I use the Nikon LiteTouch AF/600AF. It has a much sharper lens than my old Olympus Mju. And focuses much better. You can still get like new one for about $100. Which is really good considering inflation, the original selling price etc. But awful when you know you can get a sweet AAF slr for 1/4 that! But still, an SLR is not pocketable, has a different vibe etc.
No matter who makes these plastic P&S cameras, they are not designed for serious use, i.e. they are not built to have roll upon roll of film fed through them. The design brief was a nice small amateur camera that is used on occasional holidays, get togethers etc. Which is why I would never pay a lot of money for one.
Mine:
Pics taken with it (it has a pano mode)
No matter who makes these plastic P&S cameras, they are not designed for serious use, i.e. they are not built to have roll upon roll of film fed through them. The design brief was a nice small amateur camera that is used on occasional holidays, get togethers etc. Which is why I would never pay a lot of money for one.
Mine:
Pics taken with it (it has a pano mode)
There isn't a "link". It's simply my experience -- based on all the great deals I've found on EBAY.
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OK, thanks. I don't think there is a correlation between the 2 things but like you that is only based my opinion
pentaxuser
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That is the camera I referenced above. If they sell for $100 then they are a steal. Not sure I agree about it being much sharper than the Mju II. Most of these small cameras are roughly the same, at least the good ones. But they also have a lot of variation I'm sure. It isn't like they were quality checking every one coming off the assembly line.
And yeah, they break. Not worth spending a lot of money on them. Off the top of my head I have two broken Mju IIs, Rollei Micron, Nikon L35af, Ricoh GR1 and some others I'm sure squirreled away in a drawer somewhere. If I had purchased those all today imagine the wasted money. I would have been better off just buying a Leica. Lol. It just isn't worth buying these cameras for the prices they command unless you just love shooting film so much that it is worth it to you.
I've been thinking of selling off all of mine except for the Yashica T4 and the Contax TVS. I never use them anymore. I keep saying that though and every time I look they are worth more money so my laziness pays off I guess. Lol. That won't go on forever though. I'm guessing the market is peaking now.
yeah, I had two like new Nikon LW35AFs - the weather resistant version. Loved those cameras. But after the first one broke w/o me doing anything apart from push the shutter button, I sold the good one while it was still kicking. I had Dean from Dean's Camera Repair in Torrance look at it, and he said $200 to fix. Now seeing you can get a really nice one for $150, I declined. Because the thing is, these are plastic cameras with cheap plastic inner bits. Just because it can be repaired for $200 doesn't mean it will last. It's not like servicing a 'quality'camera. Odds are another cheap and crappy plastic part will break inside it.
p.s. I'm not knocking Dean's quote. He is a skilled technician who deserves to be paid for his time. It's just not worth sinking that kind of money into a camera like that.
My Nikon AF600 was pretty poor wide open in corners and nothing spectacular otherwise. I also hated the rubber shutter button. So I wasn't too sad when it broke after a year. Sold it for parts at more than twice the price I bought it for...
Don't have any complaints with mine. But the name 'LiteTouch' comes from the build quality resembling that of a ritz cracker
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